Tips for contacting a mental health referral
Questions to consider
- What type of counseling do I want? Therapists may specialize in individual counseling, group therapy, or family/couples counseling.
- What type of concerns do I want to address? Each counselor will have areas of expertise and interest.
- How do I plan to pay for services? You may have private health insurance, Medicaid (Apple Health) or plan to pay out-of-pocket. Some, but not all, providers will have a sliding fee scale based on income.
- Are there other factors that are important to you? You might consider a provider’s demographic characteristics or practical issues like accessibility, convenience and location.
Making the first contact
A sample script for your first call to a new provider:
“Hi, my name is [your name] and I was referred to you by the [UW Counseling Center/Hall Health]. I am looking to begin [type of service] to help me with [type of concern].”
Likely, you will be informed whether the provider is accepting new patients and if there is a wait time. The provider will ask further questions about what you are hoping to get from counseling and can give information on the services they offer.
Be sure to ask any questions you may have related to payment or costs. See the back of this page for questions to ask when utilizing insurance.
If at any point you are unsure of what to do, you can say, “this is new to me and I’m not sure what else to ask.” Most agencies/therapists will work with you to ensure you understand how to access their services and what you can expect in working with them.
Ask if your first phone call or visit can be a consultation, in which you and the provider can get to know each other a bit, without a commitment to ongoing therapy. Often, this consultation may be at no cost.
Questions to ask during your first visit/consultation
- How does payment/insurance billing work?
- How long have you been working as a therapist? What is your educational/training background?
- Do you have experience working with [your concern].
- Do you prescribe medication?
- Can you accommodate my academic/work schedule?
- How long is the wait to begin sessions? Are there any limitations to the length of treatment?
- Please tell me about your approach to therapy, and to my concerns in particular.
Utilizing health insurance
Using the Know Your Benefits worksheet as your guide, call your health insurance company to ask about your coverage. The phone number should be on the back of your health insurance card. Make sure you have your policy number with you when you call.
Exploring therapy options
Your campus mental health provider can give you a list of local practitioners. You can also call your insurance company for a list of contracted providers, or use the Psychology Today website to search for a local provider. Filter the results by insurance type, issue(s) you want to work on and many other criteria.
Most providers offer a link to their personal websites, and many offer free consultation phone calls.
This website offers a searchable database of therapists of color in Washington.
What type of provider should I see?
- A psychologist has a doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD)
- A psychiatrist has a medical degree and can prescribe medication
- An LMHC has a master’s degree in counseling; an LMFT has a master’s and specializes in work with couples and families
General off-campus counseling – Private insurance
Alliance Community Psychotherapy Clinic
Website
Phone:425.656.9627
Consejo Counseling and Referral Service (Several Locations across Seattle)
Website
Phone: 206.461.4880
Zip code: 98118
Mindful Therapy Group (multiple locations)
Website
Phone: 425.640.7009
Zip code: 98115
Seattle Psychology (multiple locations)
Website
Phone: 206.420.4701
Zip Code: 98103, 98119
Samaritan Center of Puget Sound (multiple locations)
Website
Phone: 206.527.2266
Puget Sound Psychotherapy and Psychiatry
Website
Phone: 206.669.4336 (main intake line) or email intake@PSPsseattle.com
Seattle Psychology (multiple locations)
Website
Phone: 206.420.4701 (Main line. Please leave a message and your call will be returned)
Zip codes: 98103, 98119
Eating disorders & disordered eating – private insurance
Emily Program
Website
Phone: 206.283.2220
Zip code: 98109
Opal Food+Body Wisdom
Website
Phone: 206.926.9087
Zip code: 98105
Off-campus counseling – Apple Health
Community Psychiatric Clinic (Northgate)
Website
Phone: 206.461.4544
Zip code: 98125
Sound Mental Health
1600 E. Olive St.
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 302-2300
Hours: M-Fr 8:30-5:00 (Intakes M-Fr. 8:30-12:00)
https://www.smh.org/
Asian Counseling and Referral Service
3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S.
Seattle, WA 98144
(206) 695-7600
Hours: M-Fr. 8:00 -6:00
Offers services in many languages, including Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Vietnamese, Napali, Laotian, Thai, Mien, Cambodian, Tagalog. Please ask about others.
https://acrs.org/
Seattle Counseling Service
1216 Pine St., Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 323-1768
Hours: M-Th 8:00-8:00, Fr. 8:00-5:00
This agency offers special focus and support for individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ and gender non-binary. Interested clients may apply for services online.
http://www.seattlecounseling.org/
Counseling Centers Off Campus that Provide Low Cost Services
Alliance Community Psychotherapy Clinic
http://alliancecommunitypc.org/
Antioch Counseling Clinic: www.antiochseattle.edu/community/clinic.html
Asian Counseling and Referral Service: https://acrs.org/services/
Bastyr Center for Natural Health: http://bastyrcenter.org/services/counseling
Center for Human Services: https://www.chs-nw.org/programs-services/family-counseling/
City University Counseling Center
521 Wall Street
Suite 100
Seattle, WA 98121
https://www.cityu.edu/discover-cityu/student-services/
Jewish Family Service of Seattle: https://www.jfsseattle.org/get-help/counseling-and-addiction-services/
MEND Seattle (serving couples, cis and trans women, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people): https://mendseattle.com/
Samaritan Center of Puget Sound Low Fee Clinic
564 NE Ravenna Blvd.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-527-2266
http://www.samaritanps.org/
Bus routes: 45, 67
Seattle Counseling Services: https://seattlecounseling.org/mental-health-services/ (for LGBTQ+ individuals)
Seattle Therapy Alliance (for women only)
200 1st Ave W
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 660-4396
http://seattletherapyalliance.com/
Therapeutic Health Services: https://ths-wa.org/
Wellspring Family Services: https://wellspringfs.org/counseling/about-our-counseling-services
Counseling services that accept private insurance
If you’re looking for a therapist in private practice and want to start by researching this on your own, we recommend searching Psychology Today, where you can filter by zip code, insurance, mental health condition and more.